Ming Qi's gaze fell on the open gate of the Future Star Palace. Strictly speaking, it could only be considered an entrance, for there was no door at all, simply the shape of an open gate. It seemed as if it wasn't concerned about anyone entering, or rather, it wasn't hindering anyone from entering.
Seeing this gate, Ming Qi couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder. He asked Xing Yun beside him, "Xing Yun, does that stone tablet you saw contain any information about the interior of the Future Star Palace?"
Xing Yun shook her head. She had already told Ming Qi all the descriptions of the Future Star Palace she had read, and none of them contained any description of the interior.
Ming Qi pondered for a moment, then he roughly guessed the reason. Those who had been able to find the Future Star Palace were likely powerful masters, and anyone who arrived there would never give up and explore. If the Star Palace was surrounded by powerful guards, making entry impossible and immediately killing anyone who tried, then it was impossible for anyone to have left any information about the Future Star Palace.
The opposite scenario, however, suggests that the Star Palace lacks such powerful protection. Anyone who enters can explore and then safely depart. In this scenario, anyone who enters the Star Palace, driven by human selfishness, will not reveal its secrets, much less share the benefits they've gained within.
After weighing the pros and cons, Ming Qi leaned more towards the latter scenario.
"Xingyun, wait here for me."
"What are you doing?"
Xingyun was unaware that Ming Qi had already connected the dots and reached his own conclusion.
"I'll go up and take a look."
As he spoke, Ming Qi soared into the air. The next moment, he was standing in the open space in front of the Star Palace's gates. He could feel the star power flowing back and forth like a gentle breeze. Far from feeling uncomfortable, it felt incredibly gentle, like the warm sun on a winter's day.
He was delighted, knowing his guess was correct. He waved to Xingyun below, signaling her to follow.
Xing Yun was still a little puzzled, but seeing Ming Qi standing there unharmed, she lost her hesitation and soared into the air to follow.
"Let's go inside the Star Palace."
Ming Qi led the way through the gates, followed by Xing Yun.
The two of them passed through the gates, one in front of the other, and emerged into the interior of the future Star Palace.
As soon as they entered the Star Palace, the atmosphere suddenly changed. A rich sense of ancient history washed over them, and a heavy, majestic, and subtly oppressive aura pervaded, as if a divine presence had taken possession of the place.
Xing Yun wrinkled her nose, sniffed, and exclaimed in surprise, "There's a strong aura of a higher being here. It seems this place doesn't originally belong to this world."
A mysterious Star Palace that didn't belong to the star field—that was enough to pique anyone's curiosity.
Ming Qi surveyed the interior of the Star Palace, finding it unusually empty. Crystals emitting a rich starlight could be seen everywhere, clustered like coral reefs on the seafloor. Buildings of various shapes were scattered haphazardly throughout the vast interior.
These buildings appeared unremarkable overall, but a closer look revealed that each was constructed from completely different materials. There were at least a hundred buildings, and not a single one repeated.
Ming Qi was immediately astonished. While these materials appeared simple and unadorned, the powerful aura they exuded proved them to be truly extraordinary. He even spotted one or two divine-grade materials from the Tianhuang Great World.
Could these be top-tier materials scavenged from various great worlds?
Ming Qi's heart was instantly captivated. If he could take some of these materials with him, he would surely be able to refine a peerless divine weapon in the future.
However, the thought had barely formed when it was forcibly suppressed. The Future Star Palace was shrouded in secrets, and who knew how much power lay hidden within. Ruthlessly plundering it would surely bring disaster. Once calamity struck, escaping would be impossible.
"Look at that little tower!"
Xing Yun suddenly shouted, pointing to a three-story tower not far away. "That's the divine forging stone from the Star World. Blacksmiths call it the Miracle Stone. Even a piece the size of a fist can forge a divine weapon!"
"Oh my goodness! There are so many!"
Xing Yun suddenly lost her composure, eager to rush over and dig up several large pieces.
Thankfully, Ming Qi resisted the temptation and knew not to touch anything before figuring out the situation. Otherwise, he might have rushed in with Xing Yun.
"Alright, alright, let's find out what's going on here first. Otherwise, we might not even know how we died."
After finally dissuading Xingyun, the two began to slowly move forward, trying to find some valuable information.
Facing a pile of priceless, even inestimable, treasures, unable to move, it was undoubtedly a huge test of willpower. Both of them continued their journey, looking around and reluctantly, sometimes even pausing to stare intently at a building for a long time.
After walking for the better part of a day, they had covered about ten miles, but their gains were not significant, as they still hadn't spotted any living creatures.
The buildings constructed of divine-grade materials became more and more numerous and larger, and the materials were all so bizarre that even Ming Qi couldn't name them, but just looking at them was eye-opening.
"Huh?"
As they walked, Ming Qi suddenly noticed that the style of a building ahead had suddenly changed. Upon closer inspection, he realized that he had been so captivated by the divine-grade materials around him that he hadn't noticed that the building was actually a statue.
"What's wrong?"
Hearing Ming Qi's surprise, Xing Yun leaned over and asked.
"Look."
Ming Qi pointed to the enormous, ten-meter-tall, star-colored statue in front of him.
The statue seemed made of a simple material, the kind of star-glow crystal you'd see everywhere in the Future Star Palace. What struck Ming Qi was its form. The figure wore armor, held a sword, and wore a helmet. Two pairs of wings stretched out behind him, ready for flight.
This form felt familiar to Ming Qi.
"Celestial Clan!"
Suddenly, Ming Qi remembered that Mo Changli and Wei Silong were Celestial Clan members. When armed, they also wore golden armor, wielded long weapons, and had wings on their backs. The only difference was that Celestial Clan members had one pair of wings, while this statue had two.
"This isn't Celestial Clan, it's Divine Clan."
Xing Yun corrected Ming Qi immediately upon hearing the word "Celestial Clan." "The Protoss?"
Ming Qi was stunned. When did another Protoss appear?
"Since the Celestial Clan's rebellion, the Protoss naturally emerged. They are loyal to the gods of heaven and earth and fulfill their duty to patrol the heavens," Xing Yun explained simply.